Wheel



E. M. G. LEPERE.

WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. 3|. 1919.

Patnted 'Jan. 18,1921.

an. KM 5 61 norma /J UNITED STATES.

PATIENT OFFICE.

' Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J an. 18, 1921.

Application filed January 31, 1919. Serial No. 274,346.

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE MARIE GEORGES LEPERE, a citizen of the FrenchRepublic, and residing at Paris, France, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Wheels, of which the following is a secification.

he present invention relates to wheels and more particularly to wheelswhich are subjected to forces acting perpendicularly to the planethereof, such as vehicle wheels.

The principal objects of the invention are to provide a wheel whichshall be stronger for a 'ven weight of material than the wheelseretofore used; to provide a wheel which may be manufactured frommaterials heretofore unsuitable and to provide a wheel which may bemanufactured at a small cost. Other objects and features of novelty willbe apparent from the description taken in connection with the drawingsin which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a block of wood made up oflayers or laminae of wood, some of the layers being broken away to showthe direction of the grain in the difierent layers;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a wheel constructed in accordance with thepresent invention, one-half of the outside layer of the wheel beingremoved; and

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation through the whee taken substantially onthe line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

eferring to the drawings the wheel as shown comprises a rim 10, a hub 11and connecting spokes 12 and two disks 13, each secured to a side faceof the assembled rim, spokes and hub just described.

According to the present invention the rim, hub and sppkes may be formedfrom a single block. referably, this block comprises lamime or layers ofsheet material such as wood arran d in planes perpendic-- ular to theaxis of t e wheel and secured together throughout their contacting facesby an adhesive, such as glue or other suitable means. If glue isemployed, preferably it is of the type of glue not afiected by moisture.As clearly shown in Fig. 1, the layers 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19 ofsheet material have their grains disposed so that the grain of one layeris at an angle to the grain of another. Where wood is employed, eachlayer may consist of a plurality of arallel strips. In the manufactureof the w eel the block illustrated in Fig. 1 is formed into a disk andhas the central bore 20 out therethrough and the apertures 21, therebyforming the spokes 12 and the rim and hub of the wheel. The outsidefaces of the disk formed in this manner are smooth, that is, the outsidefaces of the rim, spokes and hub are flush. The disks 13 of thin sheetmaterial are secured to these side faces in any suitable manner and areformed with the central opening 22 registering with the opening 20 inthe center of the disk. These disks 13 may be of wood and if desired mayeach be made up of a'plurality of thin laminae.

Preferably the grain of the wood in each layer forming the central diskis parallel to a diiferent spoke. Thus referring to Figs. 1 and 2 itwill be seen that the grain of the wood in the layers 14 and 19 isparallel to the spokes a and b. The ain of the wood in the layers 15 and18 is parallel to the spokes a and d, and finally the grain of thewoodin the layers 16 and 17 is parallel to the spokes e and f.

It is to be understood that a suitable rim may be secured to. theperiphery of the wheel, and a hub may be mounted in the central opening.

It is to be noted that the construction of the wheel described hereinpermits a form and quality ofwood to be used which is cheaper and muchmore plentiful than employed in wooden wheels as now. constructed.

urthermore the continuous outside disks 13 in combination with thespoked disk between these disks form 'a box-like structure which isparticularly rigid in resisting transverse forces, thatis, forces actingin the direction perpendicular to the plane of the wheel.

Althou h an embodiment of the invention has been described in detail, itis to be understood that it is not thus limited but includes changes andmodifications which come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent is: a

1. A wheel comprising a disk consisting of layers of wood having acentral bore and apertures therethrough forming spokes, and a layer ofwood secured to each face of said disk, said outside layers beingsubstantially imperforate except for a central bore.

2. A wheel comprising a disk'eonsisting of laminae of sheet materialhaving a central bore and apertures therethrough forming aperturestherethrough forming spokes, the grain of the Woodin one layer extendlngat an angle to the grain in another layer,

and a layer of sheet material secured to the opposite faces of the diskhaving a central opening registering with said bore, but being otherwiseimperforate.

4. A wheel comprising a disk consisting of layers of wood having acentral bore and apertures therethrough forming spokes, the grain of thewood in one layer disposed parallel to one of the spokes and the grainin another layer disposed parallel to another spoke, and a layer ofsheet material secured to the opposite faces of the disk having acentral opening registering with said bore, but being otherwiseimperforate.

5. A wheel comprising a disk consisting of layers of wood having acentral bore and apertures therethrough forming spokes, there being asmany layers as spokes and the grain of the wood in successive layersbeing parallel to different spokes, said layers each comprising aplurality of strips.

6. A wheel comprising a disk consistingof layers of Wood having acentral bore and apertures therethrough forming spokes,

there being as many layers as spokes and the grain of the wood insuccessive layers being parallel to different spokes, and a layer ofsheet material secured to the opposite faces of the disk having acentral opening registering with said bore, said outside layers beingotherwise substantially imperforate.

7. A wheel comprising a disk having a central bore and aperturestherethrough forming spokes, and a thin disk of sheet material securedto each of the opposite faces of the first mentioned disk, said outsidedisks being substantially imperforate except for a central bore.

8. A wheel comprising a disk of wood having a central bore and aperturestherethrough forming spokes, and a thin disk of sheet material securedto each of the opposite faces of the first mentioned disk, said outsidedisks being substantially imperiorate except for a central bore.

9. A Wheel comprising in combination, a rim, spokes and a hub havingtheir opposite side surfaces flush, and a thin disk of sheet materialsecured to each of said opposite side surfaces, the diameter of saiddisks being substantially the same as the outside diameter of the rim,and being substantially imperforate except for a central bore.

In testimony whereof I aflixmy signature.

ruckus MARIE csoxcrs tartar.

